Scenius Studio

In this episode, Ben sits down with Jeff Morris Jr., Founder and Managing Partner of Chapter One. Jeff was VP of Product and Revenue at Tinder and an active angel investor before leaving to start Chapter One. Jeff has a growth and product oriented mindset and has built his firm to identify founders with audacious missions and then support them on their entrepreneurial journey. Let's get into it. Timestamps 2:01 What does it mean to get hit by a "Lucky Truck”? 6:10 What is your background? 10:57 Common threads among your early angel investments? 14:58 What are some moon shot ideas that you’ve come across recently? 19:02 What are your thoughts on Spindl and the roadmap for its products? 23:37 What growth tactics have been most successful for web3 projects? 28:48 What do you think about quests as a way to onboard authentic, organic users? 34:59 What's it like transitioning from an angel investor to running your own fund? 39:30 How do you think about portfolio construction at Chapter One? 42:30 Is AI in a bubble? 44:23 What will be a more valuable investment out of these next two vintages: consumer or infrastructure? 50:22 What are your thoughts on Web3 social? 55:49 What is your most contrarian take on crypto? 57:21 What is your most contrarian take outside of crypto? 59:52 Where can people learn more about you? Resources Mentioned Medici Robert Leshner Hivemapper Spindl Chaos Monkeys DeGods Farcaster Daylight Optimism Quests Connect with the guest Follow Jeff on Twitter https://twitter.com/jmj Follow Chapter One on Twitter https://twitter.com/chapterone Chapter One https://chapterone.com/ Disclaimer  Ben Jacobs is a partner at Scenius Capital Management. All views expressed by Ben and the guests of this podcast are solely their opinions and do not reflect the opinions of Scenius Capital Management. Guests and the host may maintain positions in the assets or funds discussed in this podcast. You should not treat any opinion expressed by anyone on this podcast as a specific inducement to make a particular investment or follow a particular strategy but only as an expression of their personal opinion. This podcast is for informational purposes only.

In this episode, Ben sits down with Tom Walton-Pocock, Managing Founder of Geometry. Building on his experience as a Co-Founder and CEO of the Aztec Network, Tom launched Geometry on the premise that deeply technical founders need investors who can relate to their engineering first approach to business building. Geometry is now a leading cryptography and mathematics research firm with a track record of successful early-stage blockchain venture deals. Let's get into it. Timestamps 2:27 Background and experiences? 3:43 What gave you the motivation to launch Geometry? 7:00 What was the gap in the venture capital market that you identified? 10:00 What does Geometry offer to deeply technical founders? 13:30 What does running a research-driven VC fund mean in practice? 14:41 What are some examples of the business models that you’re backing at Geometry? 22:40 What are ZK proofs and what's their history? 26:20 What is Scroll and what is a ZK EVM rollup? 31:00 What benefits does this ZK technology bring to the average user? 34:20 Beyond ZK what are the cutting edge trends your team is actively researching? 38:20 Why is ZK important for traditional businesses interested in crypto/blockchain? 41:00 How does Geometry helps developers build better UX and products? 45:00 What are some of the projects that Geometry is backing? 51:00 What is invisible to other investors that is clear as day to you/What is your most contrarian take in crypto? 52:27 What is your most contrarian take outside of crypto? 57:11 Where can people learn more about you? Resources Mentioned Aztec Zero-Knowledge Proofs Ingonyama Scroll EVM Risc Zero MongoDB Geometry Notebook Connect with the guest Follow Tom on Twitter https://twitter.com/tomwalpo Follow Geometry on Twitter https://twitter.com/__geometry__ Geometry https://geometry.xyz/ Disclaimer  Ben Jacobs is a partner at Scenius Capital Management. All views expressed by Ben and the guests of this podcast are solely their opinions and do not reflect the opinions of Scenius Capital Management. Guests and the host may maintain positions in the assets or funds discussed in this podcast. You should not treat any opinion expressed by anyone on this podcast as a specific inducement to make a particular investment or follow a particular strategy but only as an expression of their personal opinion. This podcast is for informational purposes only.

In this episode, Ben sits down with Pranav Kanade, Portfolio Manager of Van Eck's Digital Assets Alpha Fund. Pranav left an illustrious career as a credit Portfolio Manager at Millennium to lead Van Eck’s active crypto hedge fund strategy. The institution's robust platform paired with Pranav's thesis-driven investment process shines a light on how TradFi and crypto are blending together at the highest level of the investment world.  Let's get into it. Timestamps 2:47 What is the Ethereum Shapella upgrade and how important is it? 7:03 What is your background? 14:33 How does your credit and distressed investing experience contribute to your current work at Van Eck? 16:31 What was your pitch to Jan Van Eck on launching an active crypto hedge fund strategy? 22:19 What’s it like running a crypto strategy within a highly regulated, large institution? 25:30 What are the investment themes that you are most focused on in the short-term? 29:41 What are some NFT innovations that are under appreciated? 32:40 What infrastructure needs to be built for institutions to participate on-chain? 36:20 USDC vs. a potential US Dollar denominated CBDC? 43:00 How correlated are assets currently and how does that influence your portfolio construction? 47:06 What is your most contrarian take in crypto? 50:35 What is your most contrarian take outside of crypto? 56:29 Where can people learn more about you? Resources Mentioned Shapella ERC-4337 Van Eck Bitcoin Strategy ETF Homebase Auto-GPT Connect with the guest Follow Pranav on Twitter https://twitter.com/pkan90 Follow VanEck on Twitter https://twitter.com/vaneck Van Eck https://www.vaneck.com/corp/en/ Disclaimer  Ben Jacobs is a partner at Scenius Capital Management. All views expressed by Ben and the guests of this podcast are solely their opinions and do not reflect the opinions of Scenius Capital Management. Guests and the host may maintain positions in the assets or funds discussed in this podcast. You should not treat any opinion expressed by anyone on this podcast as a specific inducement to make a particular investment or follow a particular strategy but only as an expression of their personal opinion. This podcast is for informational purposes only.

Joe McCann, Founder, CEO, and CIO of Asymmetric, shares his extensive experience in crypto and finance. He discusses the misconceptions traditional finance and tech folks have about crypto. Joe explains the strategic shift to multiple fund structures and highlights his bullish stance on Solana based on its innovative advantages. He dives into Bitcoin's potential as a store of value, comparing it to gold, and shares his contrarian views on the evolving crypto landscape. A fascinating exploration of market dynamics and investment philosophies awaits!

In this episode, Ben sits down with Lewis Harland, Portfolio Manager and Head of Research at Decentral Park Capital. Lewis is a prolific writer with deep research into cutting edge valuation methodologies that leverage on chain data and analysis. His top-down valuation frameworks are widely recognized among leaders in the crypto industry while also helping steer Decentral Park's investment strategy and portfolio construction. Let's get into it.  Timestamps 2:21 How has writing publicly online influenced your career? 6:26 What are your resources to find signal amid the noise? 10:39 What is your background? 15:10 How does your research feed into your investment process? 19:17 Can you share some examples where your top-down investment thesis was right and/or wrong? 26:10 Do valuation frameworks matter in crypto? 32:02 Can you explain your guide on how to value a blockchain? 38:18 Please define the Lindy effect? 44:45 How do you think about new technological disruptions and their impact on valuation methodologies? 50:24 What is your most contrarian take in crypto? 54:07 What is your most contrarian take outside of crypto? 56:56 Where can people learn more about you? Resources Mentioned GlassNode Into The Block Thermocap On Blockchain Valuations Cryptonetwork Governance As Capital Nexus Mutual EigenLayer Connect with the guest Follow Lewis on Twitter https://twitter.com/_LewisHarland_ Follow Decentral Park Capital on Twitter ​​https://twitter.com/DPCio Decentral Park Capital https://www.decentralpark.io/ Disclaimer  Ben Jacobs is a partner at Scenius Capital Management. All views expressed by Ben and the guests of this podcast are solely their opinions and do not reflect the opinions of Scenius Capital Management. Guests and the host may maintain positions in the assets or funds discussed in this podcast. You should not treat any opinion expressed by anyone on this podcast as a specific inducement to make a particular investment or follow a particular strategy but only as an expression of their personal opinion. This podcast is for informational purposes only.

In this episode, Ben sits down with Regan Bozman, Co-Founder of Lattice Capital. Regan started his crypto career at CoinList where he was responsible for the launch of several of the industry's largest protocols. Regan then leveraged his go-to-market experience and partnered with his CoinList co-worker Mike Zajko, to launch Lattice Capital, an early-stage focused crypto VC firm. Let's get into it. Timestamps 2:30 What is your background? 4:38 What was the impetus for AngelList to develop the CoinList platform? 08:58 What were the key CoinList products and features that appealed to protocol founders? 11:48 Describe your transition from CoinList to founding Lattice? 16:32 What led to the development of Dove Metrics? 22:51 What was it like operating your first fund? 28:47 What were the biggest lessons learned from Fund I that you are applying to Fund II? 32:04 What is TIPIN and what does the thesis represent? 40:37 What crypto use-cases excite Lattice? 45:41 Describe Ensemble: Lattice's most recently announced investment? 48:40 What is your most contrarian take in crypto? 49:57 What is your most contrarian take outside of crypto? 50:56 Where can people learn more about you and Lattice? Resources Mentioned CoinList Dove Metrics ​​ Digital Book: Bitcoin and the Internet TIPIN POAP Delphia Ensemble Connect with the guest Lattice Capital https://lattice.fund/ Follow Lattice on Twitter https://twitter.com/lattice_fund Follow Regan on Twitter https://twitter.com/reganbozman Disclaimer  Ben Jacobs is a partner at Scenius Capital Management. All views expressed by Ben and the guests of this podcast are solely their opinions and do not reflect the opinions of Scenius Capital Management. Guests and the host may maintain positions in the assets or funds discussed in this podcast. You should not treat any opinion expressed by anyone on this podcast as a specific inducement to make a particular investment or follow a particular strategy but only as an expression of their personal opinion. This podcast is for informational purposes only.

In this episode, Ben sits down with Joyce Yang, Founder of Global Coin Research (GCR). GCR is a token-gated venture DAO with early-stage investments in various leading crypto companies and protocols. Joyce has built a vibrant community of thousands of accredited investors that together source, diligence, and invest as a collective. Let's get into it. Timestamps 2:12 What is your background? 6:07 What's it like being a female founder in crypto? 10:35 What is a venture DAO and how do they work? 12:20 How does GCR source and diligence investments? 15:43 How are GCR tokens and community participation used to reward behavior?  17:58 Why would a company want GCR on its cap table? 22:07 How does GCR think about carry on a deal by deal basis? 24:45 What component of GCR's community is most important to the DAO's success? 27:34 What are the biggest challenges of running a venture DAO vs. a traditional fund? 29:59 What's the story around GCR's investment into Lens? 33:53 What did GCR see in Magic Eden that made the DAO want to invest? 37:25 What current investment themes in crypto are community-led? 39:22 How does GCR's global footprint support its mission? 41:18 What is your most contrarian take within crypto? 45:17 What is your most contrarian take outside of crypto? 49:15 Where can people learn more about GCR? Resources Mentioned Lily Liu, Min Teo, Beryl Li, Linda Xie Sui Lens Magic Eden Tangent Ventures Connect with the guest Global Coin Research https://globalcoinresearch.com/ Follow Joyce on Twitter https://twitter.com/JoyceInNYC Follow GCR on Twitter https://twitter.com/GlobalCoinRsrch Join GCR on Discord ⁠⁠https://GCR.community⁠ Disclaimer  Ben Jacobs is a partner at Scenius Capital Management. All views expressed by Ben and the guests of this podcast are solely their opinions and do not reflect the opinions of Scenius Capital Management. Guests and the host may maintain positions in the assets or funds discussed in this podcast. You should not treat any opinion expressed by anyone on this podcast as a specific inducement to make a particular investment or follow a particular strategy but only as an expression of their personal opinion. This podcast is for informational purposes only.

In this episode, I sit down with Balder Bomans, CIO of Maven 11 Capital based out of Amsterdam. Balder and Maven 11 have built a best-in-class venture firm on the back of their deep technical research, a commitment to community development, and active portfolio company support.  Let's get into it. Timestamps 1:52 What brings you to San Francisco? 2:30 What is your background? 5:01 How are European crypto funds and companies dealing with the unbanking? 8:05 How did Maven 11 develop its presence in the European market? 11:00 How did you identify early on the value of a project like Celestia? 15:33 What was so compelling about the modular blockchain thesis? 18:34 What patterns have you identified for successful early-stage projects?  22:31 What appealed to you about the Maple Protocol? 28:07 What lessons did the team learn from actively participating in DeFi? 33:37 How did you develop and scale Maven 11's research arm? 35:56 What is MEV and why is it important? 38:45 Are there any companies or protocols Maven 11 likes focusing on MEV? 40:47 What does the future of crosschain interaction or bridging look like? 43:25 What is a trend in the gaming sector that you’re most excited about? 46:03 What is your most contrarian take within crypto? 47:38 What is your most contrarian take outside of crypto? Resources Mentioned Celestia Lazy Ledger Research Fuel Maple Spectral The Modular Summit Connect with the guest Maven 11 https://www.maven11.com/ Maven 11 Substack ⁠https://maven11.substack.com/ Follow Maven 11 on Twitter https://twitter.com/Maven11Capital Follow Balder on Twitter https://twitter.com/BalderBomans Disclaimer  Ben Jacobs is a partner at Scenius Capital Management. All views expressed by Ben and the guests of this podcast are solely their opinions and do not reflect the opinions of Scenius Capital Management. Guests and the host may maintain positions in the assets or funds discussed in this podcast. You should not treat any opinion expressed by anyone on this podcast as a specific inducement to make a particular investment or follow a particular strategy but only as an expression of their personal opinion. This podcast is for informational purposes only.

In this episode, Ben sits down with Jeff Dorman, Co-Founder of Arca and CIO of the firm's Digital Assets Fund. Jeff has two decades of portfolio management and trading experience, and now as CIO at Arca manages all aspects of portfolio sizing, trading, and risk management. Let's get into it. Timestamps 1:59 What is your background? 5:12 How important is understanding the technical underpinnings of blockchain when investing? 8:04 How have you ported over your traditional finance training to digital asset investing? 11:36 What would be an example of a valuation framework you applied to a digital asset? 18:17 What arguments do you hear from TradFi execs on why they don't like crypto? 22:42 What is the misalignment with Cardano's valuation vs. Coinbase's? 27:03 Operation Chokepoint. Real or fake FUD? 29:05 Tokens as securities. Real or fake FUD? 30:25 Tether. Real or fake FUD? 32:31 Where are we in the cycle from a macro perspective? 37:15 How has Arca effectuated change via governance? 41:50 What activism is Arca pursuing with DYDX? 45:09 How can traditional corporates leverage tokens to align customers and owners? 48:35 What would your 30 second pitch to a Fortune 100 company be like on why they should launch a token? 49:27 What is your most contrarian take in crypto? 51:27 What is your most contrarian take outside of crypto? 51:59 Where can people find out more about you? Resources Mentioned $CHZ & Socios Token Terminal: Fundamentals for Crypto Luna Classic Operation Chokepoint 2.0 Antifragile by Nassim Nicholas Taleb Arca Gnosis (GNO) Proposed Changes DYDX Governance Forum That's our Two Satoshis Connect with the guest Follow Jeff on Twitter https://twitter.com/jdorman81 Follow Arca on Twitter https://twitter.com/arca Arca’s homepage https://www.ar.ca/ Disclaimer Ben Jacobs is a partner at Scenius Capital Management. All views expressed by Ben and the guests of this podcast are solely their opinions and do not reflect the opinions of Scenius Capital Management. Guests and the host may maintain positions in the assets or funds discussed in this podcast. You should not treat any opinion expressed by anyone on this podcast as a specific inducement to make a particular investment or follow a particular strategy but only as an expression of their personal opinion. This podcast is for informational purposes only.

In this episode, Ben sits down with Kelvin Koh, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of the Spartan Group. Kelvin was previously a partner at Goldman Sachs and CIO of Indus Capital before launching Spartan out of Hong Kong. Spartan has a liquid hedge fund, a DeFi VC fund, a metaverse and gaming VC fund, as well as a prestigious advisory arm that has been involved in several large transactions within the industry. Let's get into it. Timestamps 2:09 What is your background? 6:08 What was the response from your colleagues at Goldman when you went full-time crypto? 7:08 Can you explain the evolving business and regulatory landscape in Hong Kong? 11:36 Why is there positive momentum in Asia regarding crypto? 14:39 What are your thoughts on the latest narratives driving price movement? 19:10 What is your perspective on Bitcoin and the innovations taking place within the btc ecosystem? 23:03 What excites you regarding the future of DeFi? 26:00 What does cross chain interoperability unlock? 27:56 What projects within the metaverse and gaming sectors are you excited about? 32:46 Where will the value accrue in the gaming sector? 34:19 Are there any games you recommend? 40:20 What’s your general perspective on L2s? 43:35 What is your most contrarian take in crypto? 47:42 What is your most contrarian take outside of crypto? 50:21 Where can people find out more about you? Resources Mentioned Hong Kong Twitter Thread https://twitter.com/SpartanBlack_1/status/1628230582265315333 Bitcoin NFTs (Ordinals) https://decrypt.co/resources/what-are-ordinals-a-beginners-guide-to-bitcoin-nfts Blockstack https://medium.com/@melodyhe/blockstack-partners-with-spartan-group-for-asia-expansion-eb52df118cce Layer Zero https://layerzero.network/ Dookey Dash https://dookeydash.com/ Sewer Pass https://www.coindesk.com/web3/2023/01/18/yuga-labs-sewer-pass-nft-collection-nets-over-6m-in-sales-in-just-hours/ Shrapnel https://www.shrapnel.com/ Metalcore https://www.metalcore.gg/ Scroll https://scroll.io/ Connect with the guest Follow Spartan on Twitter https://twitter.com/TheSpartanGroup Spartan Group https://spartangroup.io/ Kelvin on Twitter https://twitter.com/SpartanBlack_1 Disclaimer Ben Jacobs is a partner at Scenius Capital Management. All views expressed by Ben and the guests of this podcast are solely their opinions and do not reflect the opinions of Scenius Capital Management. Guests and the host may maintain positions in the assets or funds discussed in this podcast. You should not treat any opinion expressed by anyone on this podcast as a specific inducement to make a particular investment or follow a particular strategy but only as an expression of their personal opinion. This podcast is for informational purposes only.